Rutgers vs Penn State Prediction 12-10-24 College Basketball Picks

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Jersey Mike’s Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Rutgers vs Penn State Prediction.

Penn State Recap

The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this one looking to build on their 81-70 win over Purdue last time out to improve to 8-1 on the year. After this game, Penn State will head home for a non-conference matchup against Coppin State.

Nittany Lions Win Back-To-Back Games

Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Nittany Lions in scoring, assists, and steals with 15.1 PPG, 8.1 APG, and 2.1 SPG while Zach Hicks has 13.1 PPG with 4.4 RPG. Yanic Konan Niederhauser has 13.3 PPG with a team-high 6 RPG to lead Penn State on the glass while Puff Johnson has 10.6 PPG with 4.1 RPG and Nick Kern Jr. has 11.8 PPG to round out the scoring in double figures for Penn State so far this season. As a team, Penn State is averaging 90.1 PPG on 51.9% shooting from the field, 38.2% from three, and 73.4% from the foul line this season.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win

• Penn State has won each of its last six night games.
• Rutgers has lost eight of its last nine games against the Big Ten Conference.

Rutgers Recap

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights come into this game looking to bounce back after an 80-66 loss to Ohio State last time out. After this game, Rutgers will square off against Seton Hall at home.

Scarlet Knights Lose Third Straight

Dylan Harper leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring and assists with 23.1 PPG and 4.6 APG while Ace Bailey has 17.9 PPG and a team-high 6 RPG to lead the Scarlet Knights on the glass as the only other double-digit scorer for Rutgers up to this point in the year. Jeremiah Williams also has 8.3 PPG and Lathan Sommerville has 8.1 PPG with 4 RPG. Jordan Derkack’s also added 7.3 PPG, 5 RPG, and 3 APG as well on the year. As a team, Rutgers is averaging 79.7 PPG on 45.4% shooting from the field, 32.2% from three, and 75.9% from the foul line this season.

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

• Rutgers has won 12 of its last 13 night games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
• Penn State has lost three of its last four games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Rutgers vs Penn State Prediction

I’m on Penn State here. I just think that Penn State is the deeper team. There’s a good chance Rutgers has the two best players on the floor in Harper and Bailey, but outside of that, I do not love Rutgers. This isn’t your typical Steve Pikiell Rutgers team, that’s predicated on elite-level defense. The Scarlet Knights haven’t been as sharp defensively so far and I think Penn State is legit. Give me the Nittany Lions here.